Follow Pam as she blogs on community events.

October 22, 2010

The Sacramento community came out Wednesday night to hear Bay Area author Dave Eggers talk about his book "Zeitoun," and they weren't disappointed. Eggers spoke before a crowd of at least 500 people at The Crest Theater the highlightt of the Sacramento Public Library's "One Book Sacramento."

Sponsored by the library, The Bee's Book Club and California Lectures, this year's One Book was a great community event. Readers lined up three hours before the free event began and many stayed long after it was over to get a signed copy of Eggers' book.

Eggers' - the award-winning author who has launched non-profit writing workshops in San Francisco for underserved youth - was intereviewed by Sac State Professor Joseph Palermo. Palermo, who is also an accomplished author, directed the conversation with Eggers allowing him to tell the story of how "Zeitoun" evolved from a family's account of Hurrican Katrina to a best-selling book.

Although the highlight of "One Book" 2010 was Eggers' appearance at The Crest, there are still other events connected to the book. For more information, go to www.saclibrary.org

and click on "One Book."

The Bee Book Club will hold one more event this year. On Nov. 18, noted San Francisco author Armistead Maupin - best know for "Tales of The City" - will be at the Sacramento Library Galleria to discuss his book "Maryanne in Autumn."

October 7, 2010

On Tuesday we received a call from Nikko Thomas asking for help locating a group or fund-raiser that might assist her family. Here' is their story:

Ashley Thomas, 4, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 2. Since that time it has been an ongoing struggle for the family. They received a $500 donation and emotional support from the Keaton Raphael Memorial Foundation in 2009. They also received a donation of $150 from the Leukemia Society, which has helped.

But the family's struggle continues. Ashley can't attend day care or pre-school because her immune system is very low, her mom says. Ashley's mom, Nikko, was working 30 hours a week but that was cut to 16 hours. The family has lost their home and are in danger of losing their rental as well. They hold yard sales to make ends meet but obviously that's not enough.

If you know of any organization that can help Ashley and her family, please contact Nikko Thomas at 916-505-4211. Her email address is nikkothomas@yahoo.com